Aston Villa 0 Wigan 3

10:14, 31 December 2012

ByManchester Evening News

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was in an upbeat mood after goals from Ivan Ramis, Emmerson Boyce and Arouna Kone secured his side a vital win at fellow Premier League strugglers Villa to lift the Latics out of the bottom three.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was in an upbeat mood after goals from Ivan Ramis, Emmerson Boyce and Arouna Kone secured his side a vital win at fellow Premier League strugglers Villa to lift the Latics out of the bottom three.

A hugely impressive display ended a run of three straight losses for Wigan and put Martinez in good heart ahead of leaders United’s visit to the DW Stadium tomorrow.

“It was a really tense game before it started as both Villa and ourselves are in a similar position. We tried to play in the right way and the result was very important,” said the Spaniard.

“In terms of the performance, I thought it was similar to that we showed against Everton and Arsenal in the last two games.

“We were very clinical in both boxes and defended well, keeping (Christian) Benteke quiet. He is a footballer who can make a difference at this level. We covered this threat really well and had very good concentration.

“At the other end I thought we had even more opportunities to score in the closing stages.

“The players applied themselves in a great manner to get the result.

“This season I thought we started very brightly but then had a few difficult moments, particularly in November and December when we have had to cope with a lot of injuries and suspensions.

“This has been tough not to get the rewards on the pitch and its put a lot of pressure on the players.

“Not many foreign players can come into this league and cope with the physical side of the game.

“The know-how is important and the likes of Kone and Ramis are good examples how they have adapted. Being able to play in Germany and Spain has helped them a great deal.

“Unfortunately, we are losing players to the African tournament and other managers will tell you how difficult it is to lose important players at such a crucial stage of the season.”

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